This invention relates to improvements in forms for use in pouring concrete.
Concrete forms have traditionally been of wood or steel and sometimes a combination of the two relating to appropriate bracing and anchoring and while they adequately serve their intended purpose when finally positioned, they have the known disadvantage of requiring considerable time, labor and expense in the assembling, aligning and anchoring necessary for the space requirements of each pouring and in the dismantling or disassembling after the concrete has properly set. In addition, steel forms, as is well known, are lacking in easy adaptability to varying conditions and requirements that may be encountered and with wooden forms their repeated use in constructing different size forms generally involving nailing and re-sizing, there is often waste and destruction of materials. The costs of transporting, handling, assembly and disassembly of such forms including labor and material waste as traditionally incurred are thus relatively high and some endeavors to reduce the cost of form construction, installation and dismantling in a manner to reduce wear and tear and abuse of from material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,722,045, 2,887,756 and 3,288,426.
Accordingly, with the above observations in mind, it is one of the important objects of this invention to provide an improved concrete form construction embodying lightweight but sturdy material such as aluminum or the like which includes a plurality of telescopically arranged form sections susceptible of being retracted into a simple compact unit convenient for storage, transporting and manhandling and which can be easily and quickly telescopically extended, aligned and fixed at selected random lengths substantially in excess of the capability of current types of forms presently in use.
Another object of this invention is to provide a concrete form as characterized which includes improved easily applied and releasable fastening arrangements for securing the form to a supporting surface such as the ground and at any one or more available anchoring points provided on each form section without damage to the form.
A further object herein is to provide a concrete form of the above class wherein the several sections in a telescopic extended position can be quickly and easily locked against relative movement with each other.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a lightweight concrete form construction including a form unit having preferably, four ten foot sections telescopically arranged wherein the sections can be extended for use as a single telescopically connected form or can be removed and used individually or a plurality of units can, by suitable orientation of mating sections, be telescopically arranged for any required length.
Another object herein is to provide an economically fabricated concrete form construction which can be arranged and disarranged repeatedly and adjusted for concrete pouring areas of any desired dimensions without damage to or eventual loss of any portion of the form material due to wear and tear and sizing adjustments.
The foregoing objects and such further objects as may appear herein, or be hereinafter pointed out, together with the advantages of this invention will be more fully discussed and developed in the more detailed description of the accompanying drawings.